regfootball

I will say this. The Lucerne is a nice car, but it needs to ditch the 3.8 or 3.9 and a 3.6 should be standard with 6 speed by now. Many competitors have AWD. The Lucerne's cloth is atrocious, the bench seats look hick, and the interior dash and doors look cheap and underwhelming. It's just another poster child for what GM does do, it skimps on some key things that really would help sell the car a whole lot better. Had the Lucerne hit with a 3.6 / 6 and Lexus level or better interior, i think it would have avoided the stigma it has now.

i think when it came time to decide on saturn, they said, can chevy absorb what we were trying to do with saturn? and they decided that chevy was so stigmatized (right or wrong) in the minds eye of so many people (who buy toyotas and hondas) that i don't think they felt chevy could carry a big enough torch towards those types of buyers. saturn, with the highest customer service....and the most PLIABLE brand image.....that is, it would be easier and faster to redefine Saturn than to throw everything but the kitchen sink at Chevy and still hit the stone wall with buyers whose images of CHevy are deeply rooted in things from 30 and 40 years ago. I think GM thinks that Saturn is truly the fastest and most possible way to start changing perceptions of import bangers and get their business. What they are finding is that brnad image actually isn't all that pliable because it turns out Saturn to this day is more of an enigma than anything. I think the Insignia will make some people sit up and notice though, as well as the next Astra and some of the other Saturn unique vehicles. In the meantime, the marketing is vague and unfocused and impersonal, and i think they are missing a few key things in its products. But they are making headway so you gotta give them time. I really don't think too many brands is the issue. It's not. The problem is they say they are committed to the brands but not backing that up with proper $$$$ for marketing and product development....and that's because of bad managers who are comparing apples and oranges. They might say 'x dollars' is enough because Nissan sells 'x' cars and this is how much per car to do that. Well, duh, morons, you have more brands etc you should think out of the box and determine what it will take to get the job done well, not by half assing it. Its hard to swing cash away from paying off unions and dealers though. The other thing folks are conveniently forgetting is that Chevy as a global brand is pretty new. In the last 5 years they really exploded Chevy on the global scale and Chevy's global brand image is kinda budget........to apply this image in NA is akin to like Kia or something.

if astra had a sedan available and a real motor (at least as an option) and real advertising behind it, it should clean up. remember why saturn was kept alive, it is rated as one of the best if not the best customer car buying experience. also, think honda. Saturn originally was small cars done well. Honda still has that rep despite its new products. honda maintains a good rep and people pay more for it even though you can still get a couple of solid value small car choices. This is where Saturn needs to go. Look at harley. You can still buy a sportster and its a great deal and the product has real value. Yet the rest of the lineup is filled out with good value premium models too. Saturn's small car still needs to embody the spirit of the originals yet have all the gloss everyone expects today. A 138hp 1.8 litre engine as the only option against today's competitors doesnt cut it, and lack of sedan won't cut it. And while we are on the topic, sync in the focus is killing the Astra. Voice activated Ipods is a big thing to hip youngsters and if GM had a clue they would expand the OnStar experience to include the media control, turn by tuirn nav with duplicate image on screen, and other goodies.

flex is an aerodynamic brick. i am surprised to see it gets better/ as good as mpg than the taurus x. now the flex keeps looking better i got a ride in a coworkers edge the other day and have had one as a rental and i am beginning to lean to flex over edge if i can swing it when the lease comes due this fall. fusion is out, taurus maybe. all the big ford v6's get about the same.

the local paper had an uproarius article they posted on their web site last night about a local weather man who basically went on record saying a similar thing. within a couple hours there were over 500 comments either from libbers wanting to hang the guy or from common folks like the rest of us who know GW was a crock and a way to take away liberties and know that Gore is a fraud. Think Gore should go to court, or at best give back the Nobel Prize and all the money he's profited from this?

i test drove a metro once. i was scared. I could live with an old CRX though!

Gas prices make Geo Metros Chic - CNN

yes, reading that before it makes me scratch my head. maybe its just that things you maybe wouldn't normally feel in the floor and stuff aren't damped out. i've noticed the same thing in the aura. same goes for some impact noises you just don't hear in non-GM makes.

i am fine keeping saab, IF THEY GIVE US NEW MODELS IN A TIMELY FASHION that do not suck.

this is proof that GM's decision makers have no clue at all what motivates buyers. these people should be duct tapes to chairs and be forced to sit through some honest customer bashing in the presence of your typical import loving buyers. GM's decisions are often too much about prolonging the production life of product already with flaws. They never fix the wrongs in time and never invest in making the right decisions from the get go.

the g8 would be fine if they could just tune out some of the impact harshness and things felt through the chassis and refine the v6 powertrain combo. steering is good, the ride is good. i just get the impression that GM austrailia failed to do some 95% percentile refinement on the chassis and suspension, they got it so it has some good performance numbers and track capabilities, seems to me there are some minor detail things they left open for improvement.....probably due to cost reasons. i like buicks too. maybe if they brought the park avenue here........

if this is true......a completely new interior is needed NOW and 6 speed trannies too. the other thing that is needed, the 3.6 as a mid level option. other than that, a new grille.....the rear of the impala is nice the way it is.

welcome to C&G, trinacriabob

nail on the head in one sentence. i saw something that siad our guv was gonna veto a minimum wage increase or was opposed to it. let me see. i don't even know what that wage is (gonna guess below 8 bucks) but then the northwest airlines ceo dude is gonna get an 18 million exit package? and we can't start paying better wages to the burger flippers? the problem with this country....all the six figure folks living in nana land forcing their way on everyone else, not having a clue why pedro flipping burgers can't afford to send his kid to private school or why pedro can't afford an A3 (because everyone wants luxury c segment cars now apparently). there is a wage divide and corresponding culture divide. singles get lucky and score a job pulling 6 figures or attractive woman with a shred of drive and a college degree quickly finds her way to an extremely high paid job marries six figure man or more. they either decide to spawn brats or not, either way you look at 200k households that have no idea how the rest of the world lives. these people are few in number but they seem to think all consumer choices and the way of the world should revolve around their needs and tastes. meanwhile, 4 dollar gas just priced out single mom making under 50k from being able to drive to work anymore. now she is staying awake at night, trying to figure out where she can come up with the extra dough because gas costs her 100 bucks more a month than last year in addition to food going through the roof as well. not even driving an 02 taurus is an affordable endeavor anymore. even better, pedro flips burgers and makes 8 bucks an hour. can barely make rent but still has to rush whitey's breakfast into the bag so he gets 90 second service at the drive thru in the morning. Or does Pedro clean toilets at the class a office building that a bunch of overpaid managers and execs work at? Pedro gets to mop overspray off the floor in the mens room to barely get by while jerkwad gets paid so much he has to obsess about whether his next company car will be a lexus or infiniti and which version of NAV its gonna have. i really don't think that most people should even care anymore about whether they do their jobs well because the wage and culture gap is so great and is insurmountable to start wit. we pay a very few people way too much so they can layoff worker bees and send work overseas so they get management bonuses to go buy japanese cars with.

i test drove the g8 again today. v6 model. a lot of my impressions of the v8 test drive stand.......the ride and handling are good, i felt like i feel the bumps a bit too much through the car's structure and seat and floor. they could stand to tune some of that out. it doesn't feel 'billet like' like a car this heavy should. there feels like there is some slop or vibration or flex or looseness in either the unibody or the suspension. nonetheless, steering, handling etc. pretty agreeable. the v6 speed auto combo is alright for a commuter. the car moves out ok, but with the weight of it feels like it could stand a 6 speed more responsive tranny and more ponies under the hood. it really is not bad, but the engine sound from the ohc motor is nice and it just seems the tranny doesnt optimize what is there. the 6 speed on my 500 uses the paltry hp it has much better and actually feels more responsive at passing speeds. the g8 is better from a dead start in mid range traffic because the tranny seems to be able to access what the engine is giving. its almost like they have it programmed to short shift, probably for fuel economy. Flooring it and asking it kick down is sometimes greeted with too much delay and some clunkiness in my opinion. the car fits like a glove and even though i am used to the high command seating in my ford, i think moving back down in chair height to the g8 would be fine. i like the cockpit the g8 has. the power/tranny and weight concern me. the dash is what it is, you forget that you need to access the center to get window switches and mirrors etc. (why does GM seem obsessed with tiny side view mirrors, even on the lambda?) i like the radio and cc stack even if its too low i have to look at the atari voltmeter on top. and why does the plexi over the gauges glare so badly in sunlight? MAJOR flaw. again, trunk roomy, not tall, but still nice sized, rear seat is HUGE. the ladies i bring to lunch at work would enjoy sitting back there. its nice enough that they would even ride the hump. on second thought i wish the car had a bit more steering feel, especially considering its RWD and just again i think they need to tune out the noise and harshness and transmitted feel of some of the suspension impacts. i think there is bit more they could stand to do with refinement on this car to get a smoother engine tranny combo (something that shifts smoother, a little smoother engine too). really the car is borderline fine with the v6. the salesguy did the usual ("v8 is marked up! v6 can be had at sticker!"). I got some payment quotes that were ridiculous. CLearly that dealer has no interest in selling volume on the car and i hope all BPG dealers are not gouging like that. i may have to retest the v8 again. if i were in nice climate this car would be a great find for me and i think i would enjoy it. as it is, i think the v6 needs more refinement, it doesn't exactly feel nimble, and the v8 may be too much and not exactly great for winters here. i'm pretty undecided on this car, it's a nice car, but there is so much competition out there plus i really would like something AWD and with more utility. Very good car, its just for commuting, it doesnt blow me away. If i were able to beat on the car on the twisties I may get more value out of it, where the sitffness of it would be of more benefit and the handling would liven up at speed. Maybe some super incentives on the v6 and willing dealers could make me bite. It sounds like the v8's cannot be had at decent prices. it makes me want to go back and drive the charger / magnum v6 again. i have a hard time believing the g8 is worth so much more. the magnum i had as a rental was a nice drive and felt more comfortable even if it didnt have the sportiness of the g8. the base charger may be a much better buy depending on options. in all honesty for commuting purposes, a grand prix is as good a car for many folks as this v6 g8 is, aside from the tackiness of it.

i'm pretty sure i have built in gap insurance and it wasn't extra, but i'll have to check that. i think gm smart leases have gap protection too.

top level business people gave up being stewards long ago.

the impala's plastics are truly heinous though. and the gauges and controls look uber cheap and the seats are flat and yucky. when the SS v8 came out i test drove one and was apalled at how cheap the interior felt. not only that, the car did nothing to connect with the driver in terms of controls or gauges, and the seats were couches. worst, neither the ride or handling was sporty and the 4 speed auto was an anachronism. what the malibu lacks in interior spoils and execution, it has the contrasting color scheme, interesting shapes, and chrome dipped features that make it seem better than they actually crafted it. the design at least makes up for half assed execution.....the impala may have nice panel gaps and such, but the design overall is lacking the same interest.

the part i left out.....the wocka wocka music starts and i mysteriously appear from the corner and soon lizzie is a **** star.

so basically you are saying you get screwed by paying double for gas, getting nothing of substance out of it, and yet you endorse that.

mazda 5 has the third row seats which come into play for many. looks wise, the mazda 5 is stylish and its utility is unquestioned. if there is one vehicle that would benefit from that turbo 4, its the mazda 5.

all that absolutely needed to be said. my wife's first cars were a trashed omni, a terrible citation, and a fairmont futura coupe me? vegas, chevette's, trashed silverados and a buick century coupe. and then i graduated to my parents electra coupe. kids today have it so easy and i want to smack a lot of them.

i pretty much concur with this. if i had a rocket launcher with me when i drove, there'd be about 10 destroyed toyopets within the last month alone.

what just because the US didn't have overtaxed 7 dollar fuel? wow, you're full of yoself.

mazda 5 is underpowered and doesn't get good real world mpg anyways. c-max is alright but has that ugly euro nerd wagon look that US folks wouldn't care for anyways. think kia rondo.